Taiwan to allow visa-free entry to visitors from US, Europe
Beijing, Sep 5 (EFE).- Taiwan announced Monday it would waive visas for travelers from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe starting Sep. 12.
According to a statement from the Central Epidemic Command Center, these visitors would not have to apply for visas to enter the island – as was the case before the pandemic – but would have to keep three days of quarantine and another four of monitoring.
The European countries included in the visa exemption policy are the 26 of the Schengen area, in addition to the United Kingdom and Ireland, according to the center.
The island would limit entry to 50,000 people a year, the source said.
Taiwan announced in June it was reducing the mandatory quarantine for travelers arriving from abroad to three days, but will have to complete another four days of monitoring.
Before arriving in Taiwan, travelers would be required to submit a negative nucleic acid test taken within two days before flying.
Once they arrive at the island airports, visitors must take another PCR and two antigen tests before heading to their quarantine location.
In addition to taxis designated by the authorities, travelers may also choose to be picked up by family or friends, or by other vehicles arranged for them, if the drivers meet the disease prevention requirements.
Quarantines would have to be served at a designated hotel, although it will also be possible to do it at home under the “one person per residence” rule.
Since the pandemic began, Taiwan has reported more than 10,000 Covid-19 deaths.
In April, the island of 24 million inhabitants began to relax pandemic restrictions it had imposed with the idea of living with the virus, which has caused an increase in the number of confirmed cases in recent months.
Its strategy contrasts with that of China, which, clinging to a strict “zero Covid-19” policy, rules out living with the virus and has been dealing with outbreaks of the omicron variant for several months. EFE
pek-jco/lds
